News, comment and features

Within a few days of the news that the Friends of Broomfield Park had succeeded in a bid for Enfield Residents Priority Fund money for the Conservatory railings, the energetic park protectors were again celebrating - this time for being awarded a further £5000 from the fund to help create a wildlife pond. Artists' imprssion of the Conservatory Railings projectAnd last week the Friends also got the go-ahead from Enfield Council for an extension of the wildflower meadow on the Aldermans Hill.......

The Friends of Firs Farm Park are celebrating the success of their campaign to revitalise this large green space on the Winchmore Hill/Edmonton borders.  The Firs Farm Wetlands scheme gathered the highest number of votes from members of the public among the projects shortlisted for money from the Mayor of London's Big Green Fund II. As the result of a vigorous campaign by the Friends , the project received more than 2000 votes and has been awarded the highest amount available - £175,000........

The concept of Play Streets is catching on in and around Palmers Green.  People from fourteen streets in Palmers Green, Southgate and Winchmore Hill met at a meeting at Baskervilles last month to learn from the experience of Devonshire Road residents and find out how to go about making their own street a Play Street. Play street in Devonshire Road (photo: Phil Rogers)So what does a Play Street involve?  It means getting together with your neighbours and agreeing to close the street to.......

Croquet is a sociable outdoor sport for people of all ages which is easy to learn and played by both sexes. It is a skilful and tactical game which provides leisurely exercise and has a handicap system which enables players of different abilities to compete on level terms. This free course is designed specifically for those new to croquet who wish to try out the game and receive some guidance on the technique, rules and playing practices. All the required equipment will be provided and each.......

Campaigners trying to prevent the conversion or demolition of local pubs, such as the Green Dragon in Winchmore Hill and the Fox in Palmers Green, received some good news today, when the government announced a change to planning laws. From 6 April where a pub has been nominated or listed as an Asset of Community Value, a planning application will be required before a change of use or demolition. Though this will not prevent eventual conversion or demolition, it will provide an opportunity for.......

At the Enfield Council Meeting on Wednesday 25th March (7pm at the Civic Centre) councillors will be briefed on the strategy for the provision of secondary school places and will debate an opposition paper which proposes ways of reducing the cost of temporary accommodation for homeless families. Provision of secondary school places The executive summary of the briefing paper states that demand for secondary school places will continue to rise until 2020 followed by five years of slightly lower.......

Enfield Council is asking parents and carers to comment on the provision of childcare in the borough.  The Childcare Sufficiency Parent and Carer Survey is an online questionnaire that will be available until 31 March. What do you think about childcare in Enfield? Whether you and your family use childcare or not, the London Borough of Enfield would like to hear your views about childcare. Your responses will remain confidential to the London Borough of Enfield and will not be used for any.......

For the second year running the Lamb Festival is running literary and photographic competitions with unusual themes.  There are three entry categories:  primary schools, secondary schools and open (ie adults). Charles and Mary LambThe festival itself, celebrating the lives and work of local literary figures Charles and Mary Lamb, will run from 6th to 12th June at All Saints Church in Edmonton.  Last year's Lamb Festival comprised music, poetry, puppetry, talks and walks, and this.......

Since both Southgate College and Enfield College stopped running language courses for adults there has been a gap in the market for language learners who don't want to travel too far. Since this January the gap has been plugged, as far as Italian is concerned, by a new language school based in Palmers Green.  During its first term Parla Italiano courses attracted much interest and a new class for beginners is due to start on 15th April at the United Reformed Church in Burford Gardens, on.......

The Consortium of Friends of Enfield's Parks has launched a public campaign in opposition to Enfield Council's plan to leave pedestrian gates to parks unlocked overnight. The Consortium is asking people to sign an online petition which reads as follows: Enfield Council is planning to withdraw all night locking from 22 parks in the borough. If implemented,the pedestrian gates of those parks that have always been locked would be left open all night. This decision has caused alarm amongst local.......

The Pinkham Way Alliance is appealing to the public to support its campaign to prevent the building of waste processing facilities in Pinkham Wood (next to the North Circular in New Southgate, just past the railway bridge). The Alliance has sent the following email to its supporters and is asking for wider support from the community: Haringey's Sites Allocation (SA) consultation is underway; please sign up now in support of the PWA response. This is vital to our campaign. It will determine.......

Twice a year the Mayor of London and members of the London Assembly hold a People's Question Time session in a different part of the capital.  On 19th March the venue will be the Dominion Centre in Wood Green High Road. The Dominion Centre is now used as a church, but started life as a magnificent cinema and still has the wording Gaumont Palace in huge letters on top of the frontage.  This was its original name - later it became just the Gaumont, then the Odeon and then Mecca Bingo........